Roses Martha Stewart Recommends Gardening

June 10, 2020

My Blooming Roses

I love this time of year when I can tour my Bedford, New York farm and see all the wonderful blooms. Right now, my roses are at their peak and looking absolutely splendid.

As many of you know, I adore roses and have grown them for more than 25 years. Many of my rose cultivars were transplanted from the gardens at Lily Pond, my home in East Hampton. I also have various David Austin roses, and a selection from Northland Rosarium - all highly prized for their lovely petal formations and beautiful fragrances. I have a large collection planted along both sides of my lilac allee, but most of the roses are in the perennial flower cutting garden.

Here are some photos, enjoy.

: I have thousands of roses growing along all four sides of my perennial flower cutting garden fence – some are climbing and spilling over the sides.

: A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars.

: Roses come in many different colors, such as pink, peach, white, red, magenta, yellow, copper, vermilion, purple, and apricot.

: Rose stems are often armed with sharp prickles – they aren't thorns at all. Unlike a thorn, a prickle can be easily broken off the plant because it is really a feature of the outer layers rather than part of the wood, like a thorn.

: Rose leaves are borne alternately on the stem. In most species, they are about two to five inches long, pinnate, with at least three leaflets and basal stipules. The leaflets also usually have a serrated margin.

: Many of these roses are old fashioned and antique varieties. They include: 'Alchymist', 'Boule de Neige', 'Cardinal de Richelieu', 'Charles de Mills', 'Constance Spry', 'Dainty Bess', 'Pierre de Ronsard', 'Ferdinand Pichard', Konigin von Danemark', Louise Odier', Madame Alfred Carriere', 'the Reeve', 'Pearlie Mae', and 'Sweet Juliet'.

: I've also added roses from Northland Rosarium, including 'Night Owl', Poseidon', 'Quick Silver', 'Colette', 'Cecile Brunner', 'Ebb Tide', 'Jeannie Lajoie', Lykkefund', 'Veilchenblau', and 'Geschwind's Most Beautiful'.

: I love this beautiful apricot-colored climbing rose growing up one of the garden's trellises. Some of the newer roses added to the garden include a selection from David Austin – 'Abraham Darby', Graham Thomas', 'Heritage', 'Lady of Shallot', 'Golden Celebration', 'Snow Goose', 'St. Swithun', 'Benjamin Britten', 'Brother Cadfael', 'James Galway', 'Teasing Georgia', 'The Generous Gardener', 'Wolverton Old Hall', 'Malvern Hills', and 'Jude the Obscure'.

: When selecting a location, plant roses in a sunny spot with good drainage. Fertilize them regularly and water them evenly to keep the soil moist.

: The flowers of most rose species have at least five petals. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink.

: The flat bloom is just as it sounds, with petals generally flaring out.

: Single blooms are fully opened and almost flat, consisting of one to seven petals per bloom.

: The cupped bloom has outer petals that are a bit longer than the petals toward the center of the bloom, curving slightly inward.

: Some blooms are very full with many petals in at least three or more rows.

: Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach several feet in height.

: Climbers always do best when well supported by a trellis or fence – one that is the appropriate height, width, and strength for the climber. It should be strong enough to hold the weight of a full-grown rose plant in both wet and windy weather.

: Rosa 'Mme Zoetmans' is a lovely variety. It has full-petalled, rosette-shaped flowers with a button eye and a strong fragrance.

: To produce an impressive show of flowers, always use nutrient-rich compost, composted manure, and other organic and natural fertilizers, such as fish emulsion. Organic amendments also help to encourage beneficial soil microbes and a well-balanced soil pH.

: When watering, give roses the equivalent to one-inch of rainfall per week during the growing season. Water at the soil level to avoid getting the foliage wet. Wet leaves encourage diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew.

: The best way to prevent rose diseases is to choose disease-resistant varieties. Many roses are bred and selected to resist the most common rose problems.

: This collection of rose bushes is planted just past my chicken coops and vegetable garden. During late spring and summer, this area is filled with various shades of pink, fragrant rose blooms.

: Here is one rose blooming so perfectly.

: And here's one in deep red with delicate ruffled petals.

: Rosa 'Therese Bugnet' is a hardy shrub rose with large, double flowers that are very fragrant and bloom from mid-June until frost.

: This rose is 'Charles de Mills'. It has large, opulent flowers with many closely packed petals giving the impression of very flat, 'sliced-off' blooms. They are rich magenta in color and have a medium-strong fragrance.

: And one of my favorites is the swirled 'Variegata di Bologna' with its large, cupped flowers and petals of creamy white cleanly striped with purple crimson. It is one of the most striking of the striped roses providing a fantastic display in any garden.

: Rose bushes need six to eight hours of sunlight daily. In hot climates, roses do best when they are protected from the hot afternoon sun. In cold climates, planting a rose bush next to a south or west-facing fence or wall can help minimize winter freeze damage.